Having your identity stolen can be one of the scariest and most devastating things that can happen to a person, but there is a way you can fight back. Once you’ve contacted the police, your bank, credit cards and credit bureaus, you will be required to fill out a form known as an ID theft affidavit. This is a legally binding document that you must swear that all of the information you give is accurate and truthful. Take as much time as you need to fill out this form as it is extremely important. Here is a quick walkthrough that will go through what you can expect when you fill out an ID theft affidavit.

You will start by stating your full legal name and any other legal names that you might have gone under during your life. If you haven’t changed your name or if you are unmarried and have no maiden name, you can skip the second part of this section. Next, you will be asked for your date of birth and your social security number. You will then be asked to give your driver’s license number or the number on your state ID card or even a federal passport. You will then be asked to state your address and how long you have lived at that address. If the identity theft happened while you lived at an address different than the one you stated, you will be asked to give that address as well. You will also likely be asked how long you have lived at that address and what your current home phone number is and your cell phone number, if you have one.

As the form progresses to multiple pages, you will likely be asked to place your name and social security at the top of each page so that there is no chance of confusing your forms with anyone else’s.

The next part of the form will vary from type to type, but in general, you will be asked to identify how the fraud occurred and what exactly happened. Some popular forms use a checklist that you simply tick off each thing that has happened to you, such as, “someone used my name without my authorization, someone used my credit card without my authorization,” etc.

You will then be asked to identify the person who has stolen your identity, assuming that you’ve been able to identify the person or that it is a person you know. In most cases, identity theft isn’t done by a person someone knows, but you will likely still be asked by law enforcement.

There will also be a section for extra comments where you can go over in detail what else has been compromised due to the identity theft. You will likely be asked if you are willing to testify against the person and how cooperative you plan on being with the investigation.

Having your identity stolen is scary, but with the right forms, you can fight back and take control of the situation.